The Prophecy
by Razial
Summary: An ancient prophecy brings three people together in a race against time to save the world. Ancient forces collide to correct what went wrong.
1. Chapter 1

The Prophecy

Author: Razial

Beta: Hawklan

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of its connected media or characters, I do not own Tombraider or any of its connected media or characters; I do not own Witchblade or any of its connected media or characters. I also do not own any other characters used in this fic unless I created them, they belong to whoever created them or owns the rights to them.

Pairing: Xander/Lara/Sara

Summary: An ancient prophecy brings three people together in a race against time to save the world. Ancient forces collide to correct what went wrong.

(Sunnydale, 3 years ago)

Alexander Harris could only watch in horror as the Mayor transformed into a huge snake, granted they had been expecting this since the fight had begun, but to see it in the flesh was still enough to make him feel a lot of fear.

He stood his ground next to Willow and Buffy, which nodded at him and he raised his hand to signal the rest of the students to ready themselves for the fight ahead. He pulled his own crossbow from underneath his chair and hoped they could pull this off.

As the eclipse came upon them and the vampires attacked them from the rear, he got separated from Willow in the growing confusion. He jumped out of the way of a charging vampire and as he turned he unleashed the bolt from his crossbow and fired it at the exposed back of the attacking vampire.

He had the brief satisfaction of seeing the creature dust, before he saw the horrifying sight of Cordelia being flung against the wall of the school with enough force to leave a trail of blood running down it. As he tried to move to help her, he was intercepted by Faith who brought her dagger down right in front of his face. He backed off, but still received a jagged cut down his left eye causing him to cry out in pain, as he looked up at the fallen slayer, who just grinned dementedly at him, he realized they may lose this fight.

Getting back to his feet he attacked Faith, but was easily blocked and received a kick into his chest which knocked him backwards. This gave Faith the chance to kill him, but her blow was blocked by Buffy's timely intervention.

Nodding his thanks to Buff, he ran to Cordelia and checked her pulse and was horrified to find none, she was gone. Closing his eyes in pain he looked around for Willow only to see her fighting back to back with Oz against numerous vampires. More seemed to have turned up to reinforce the Mayor's forces. He glanced back to see Buffy and Faith locked in a deadly fight, which was at a speed he could barely follow. Looking for Angel he saw the souled vampire trying desperately to keep other vampires off Buffy, as their allies were brutally cut down around them.

Finally he looked for Giles and saw the watcher guarding the detonator for the explosives they had rigged in the school. He had multiple crossbows around him and was just barely keeping the vamps off him.

As for the snake/mayor it remained in the centre of the field and was watching the events with a certain satisfaction.

A scream made him turn back to Willow and Oz, only to see Oz now on the ground trying to stem a wound in his chest, whilst Willow franticly defended him.

He killed another vampire, as he went to help them, with a well timed shot to its heart. Stopping next to Willow he noted he was too late to help. Oz's eyes stared blankly back up at him.

He fought hard to suppress the emotions he was beginning to feel and concentrate on the fight, but it was getting hard to think. Willow's crying made him snap into focus and he got back to his feet and tried to get her to stand up as well, but she refused to move.

"Willow we got to go," he snapped, as he reloaded another bolt, just in time to kill another vamp that had just killed Harmony by snapping her neck like a damn twig.

Willow refused to move or even acknowledge his presence, as she cried over Oz's body. A growl behind him made him turn in time to be knocked over by another vampire. He shouted for Willow to help him, but she did not even hear him. As he struggled for his life, he could only watch as another vampire came up behind Willow. It grabbed her and pulled her up without any resistance.

He could only watch, as Angel rushed to save her only to end up been impaled on a stake by Faith, as he went past her, Buffy who was slowly getting back to her feet froze as she watched him turn to ash and then she redoubled her attack on Faith.

The vampire sank his fangs into Willow and began to drain her, again there was no reaction from the red head and Xander realized she was catatonic. He tried to push the vampire off him, but it refused to be moved until he managed to bring his knee into the things privates. The vampire rolled away in agony and he quickly pulled his last stake and thrust it into the vamp's heart, dusting it. As he turning to help Willow he paused, as the vamp dropped her body to the ground grinning at him. Overcome with rage he charged and surprised the vampire enough to knock it to the ground and staked it.

He stood up again, turned to Willow and checked her pulse, but like with Cordelia he found none at all. He wanted to cry as he realized that his lifelong friend was dead.

Looking around he saw that Buffy was still fighting Faith almost right in front of the Mayor. Turning around, he stumbled over to Giles, who was now lying on the ground fatally wounded. It was over he realized, they had lost.

There were only a few students and parents left, including surprisingly Wesley, but he knew they would soon be cut down as well.

"It's over Giles," he said, as he pulled Giles to him. "We lost," he said with a shake of his head.

Giles weakly shook his head and gave a tired smile to his young friend. "No Xander it's not over, at least not for you," he whispered, and pulled Xander nearer to him and signaled to listen to him. "I found a prophecy which suggests there is another way to stop the Mayor, but it can only be achieved if you leave now and save yourself," he explained, knowing he did not have much time left. "I know what I am asking will be hard for you, but if you have any loyalty to us at all, you will accept this duty," he stated.

Xander swallowed hard as he took all of this on board and wanted to immediately object and refuse. He looked around to see Wesley brought down by Faith who cut open his throat. This made him look wildly around for Buffy and then finally found her on the ground, wounded with a knife sticking out of her stomach in front of the Major, who seemed to be enjoying watching her slow death.

He wanted to help her, but Giles held him back with what strength he had left. Xander looked down and noted the shake of his head.

"Listen to me. If you don't do this, we will have died for nothing," Giles stated weakly, "The prophecy goes like this," he went on. "The last warrior of the mouth of hell, the bearer of the blade of witches and the one who seeks things better long forgotten will find the hidden treasures to defeat that what was believed to be unbeatable," Giles told him, before breaking into a coughing fit.

"Go Xander and avenge us," he then pushed Xander away.

Xander weakly tried to protest, but the look in Giles eyes made him turn and run. As he ran tears began to run down his face and his emotions went wild, as he fought to keep control. He found a racing bike with the keys still in the ignition and the driver dead beside it. He mounted the bike and took off, heading away from Sunnydale and his dead friends as fast as he could.

(Present day, New York)

Xander shot up from his bed screaming, as he again suffered that particular nightmare. Three years may have passed since he lost every single one of his friends, but that did not lessen the pain a bit.

Leaving Giles and Buffy to their fates had been torture to him. He had only gone because of Giles' insistence that he had to carry out the prophecy, but so far he had no clue where to find the other two spoken of in the prophecy Giles had told him. He had searched libraries, both normal and magical. He had found contacts in both worlds, but so far nothing, he was beginning to lose whatever hope he had left.

Sunnydale was now nothing more than a whispered myth. It was hidden by a powerful magical shield that stopped anyone from breeching it. Although he suspected he could bypass it when the time was right, if Giles prophecy was right, what truly weighed on his mind was the thought that Buffy and Giles may not be dead and were now prisoners of the demonic Mayor and the demented Faith. They could have been brought back from their wounds with magic he was sure. The urge to go back and find out was strong, but he refused to betray the silent oath he had given to avenge them and so he stayed away.

Wiping sweat from his brow he got up and headed for the bathroom of his motel to have a warm shower, it sometimes helped keep the nightmares away. Was he ever going to be free of them again he wondered? Sighing as he stripped off he slipped under the warm water and allowed it to drench him. He prayed he wound discover a clue soon, before he went insane from his memories. Ten minutes later he came back out and he was dry he clothed himself again, placing his trench coat back on he decided to hit the local demon bar again in hopes he would finally find something.

(Police Station, New York)

Sara Pezzini watched as her friend Lara Croft paced up and down, still complaining about the problems she had encountered in her latest adventure, what disturbed her was that the artifact Lara was after, was also the one she had an interest in as well.

The cult she had tried to infiltrate had been involved in a number of murders and robberies in the area, she knew there was more to them than simple power plays. This cult was old and she had found records of it in certain areas she went to when she faced problems related to the Witchblade. It was kind of funny to see Lara so frustrated, as usually she was very laid back and in control of herself.

"I think what we need is more information," Lara finally said, while dropping into the chair opposite Sara.

"What we need to do is work together," Sara countered. "This cult is dangerous Lara and whilst I know you can usually handle yourself, I think you should know it has supernatural connections," she explained.

Lara grimaced, hating to hear this as she knew it would be all the harder to get a hold of the artifact she was after. She leaned back in her chair and considered her options. Finally she nodded her head in agreement, at least teamed with Sara she had a better chance of success than before and she got on well with Sara. Having worked with her on several occasions they had formed a close friendship and knew how the other worked. Sara smiled in response and stood up.

"Ok let's check out a local demon bar I know," Sara said. "I get a lot of information on supernatural events there," she added at Lara's questioning looks.

"I so do not like the sound of that," Lara commented, not looking forward to be in a bar full of demons, but willing to go if it got her some answers on how to get to the artifact.

(Demon Bar)

Xander took a quick look around the bar, taking note of what kind of demons were in the bar. He noted a few vampires and for a few second he fought the urge to kill them on sight. Finally regaining control of himself he looked away and ran a finger down the scar over his left eye, the only physical reminder of the battle that had cost him so much.

He now had an even greater hatred of vampires in general and if he saw one he would usually go after it and kill it, but he knew if he wanted answers in here he would have to play by the rules and so he turned away and went deeper into the bar. He failed to notice one of the vampires take an interest in him and begin to follow, he also failed to notice Sara and Lara's entrance into the bar. The vampire paused as it watched the two women follow the young man's path, it cursed as it realized who they were and just what they were after.

It turned around and left the bar before it reached into its pocket and pulled a phone out. It called up its master and reported the sighting the three prophesized champions.

He listened to its master's orders to watch and follow the three, until help to kill them arrived. They could not be allowed to gain control over the artifact the cult currently had control of. Finishing the call it turned and went back into the bar and began to search for the three. He found the two women at the bar trying to get information out of the bartender, whilst the male was off to the side talking to a Bracken demon, it knew to be an information broker.

Sara was growing frustrated by the bar keeper's reluctance to talk and by the look on Lara's face she shared this feeling: she took a quick glance around the room and for a few seconds locked eyes with a young man in the corner, who was wearing a trench coat and had a scar down his left eye.

In those few seconds she saw a tortured spirit and one who had gone through hell, breaking contact she looked away and noted all three of them were been watched by another. The Witchblade easily showed her that the person was a vampire, glancing at Lara she noted the adventurer had tensed and so must have also realized they were being watched. She glanced to the male and noted his hand was now resting at his hip, taking a closer look she noted he was armed, so he too knew about the vampire.

Xander kept a close eye on the vampire trying to covertly observe him and the two women, while he continued to listen to the bracken demon. Currently he was learning about a cult and a dangerous artifact they were in possession of.

This sparked some recognition in him from the lines of the prophecy.

Suddenly he was aware of more movement in the club. He turned slightly to see more people flooding in and he began to suspect he and the women were about to be attacked, he glanced to the woman who's gaze he had caught before and was not surprised to find her returning his look, which showed she had come to the same conclusion. His demon contact also noted the movement and quickly fled, cursing his luck he turned and faced the approaching group and noted they were all vampires.

The two women soon flanked him, yet he felt no threat for either of them, the music in the club cut out and people began to rush out. The bartender also fled, which surprised him as usually they tried to enforce the rules of the place. Clearly whoever these vampires were, they were dangerous and well known.

"Can I help you?" he asked, placing his hand on the hilt of his magnum.

"You can die," the lead vampire, who had been spying on them, said in reply, as it joined its brethren. "The three supposed champions must never claim the artifact," it spat.

"Champions?" Sara asked, already ready to activate the Witchblade. "What makes you think we are these champions?" she asked.

"You cannot fool us witch, we know who you are," the vampire responded. "Sara Pezzini, bearer of the Witchblade, Lara Croft 'The Tombraider' and searcher of lost things and last but not least Xander Harris, former defender of the Hellmouth," it continued with a sick sort of smile.

Xander's mind however was going a mile a minute as he thought over the descriptions the vampire had given. They matched what the prophecy had said. It had to be divine intervention that he had run into them here or the biggest cosmic joke ever, but he was now sure that the two women were the others mentioned in the prophecy and whatever this artifact was that the cult had, was what was needed to stop the Mayor.

He pulled his magnum and a stake and readied himself for battle. They had to survive this if he had any chance of fulfilling Giles' last wish.

"Well I am impressed," Lara responded as she pulled her pistols and prepared for a hell of a fight, but at least pleased she had loaded up some demon killers before coming into this place. Bryce's creations were very useful in dealing with vampires, as well as demons.

"Die," the vampire spat before ordering the attack.

(Sunnydale)

Faith lay on her bed having enjoyed another round of torturing her favorite prisoner. Sometimes she got bored being in Sunnydale, as there was no resistance to the Mayor's rule. There had been none since the battle three years ago during his ascension to a pure demon. His rule had been harsh on the remaining humans, bar those who chose to serve him which was not many.

She sometimes wished for a bit more action. Her thoughts were disrupted by the appearance of Andrew Wells, one of the humans who had sworn to serve the Mayor. She did not like the meek idiot who seemed to think he was a big thing because he could summon demons. She noted he could only summon small demons and nothing major. She believed he was kept around almost as a joke. He informed her that the Mayor wanted to see her and she quickly jumped to obey.

She knew he was probably using his magic to appear human again, it was something he liked to do when speaking with her and she appreciated the gesture. It showed that he truly did care for her and she had made the right choice in siding with him. She pushed away any doubts or thoughts on what her first watcher would have said, if she could have seen her now. Entering the Mayor's chambers she noted he was indeed in his human form again, smiling in greeting he guided her to a chair and then sat at his desk.

"Ah good to see you well and rested Faith," he began, leaning back in his chair. He was pleased that he had been able to find the spell and artifact that allowed him to change between his demon and human forms for certain things. "I have a mission for you away from Sunnydale. One I think you are suited for," he added.

"What do you want me to do?" she inquired, actually looking forward to be out of the town for a while.

"I want you to track down Xander Harris and kill him," the Mayor responded grimly. "We know he survived the battle at my ascension, well I have now found some disturbing things which paint that he may become a threat and so I want you to kill him before he gets the chance," he explained.

"Xander a threat?" Faith shot back with a laugh, finding the idea very humorous, until she noted the Mayor was not laughing and she quickly stopped.

"People change Faith and Xander has more than enough motivation to want to do us harm if you will recall," the Mayor reminded her with a short glare at her. "Now I suggest that you prepare yourself and then leave. The sooner he is dead the better off you are, and if he is in the company of two others, kill them too," he ordered.

Faith nodded, somewhat chilled by the look in the Mayor's eyes before he went back to the friendly demeanor he usually used with her. She got up and headed back to her room. He had not exactly told her much about what Xander might do to cause them trouble, but still he seemed intent on wanting him dead and that was enough for her, so she decided to work out where her former lover would go.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

(Demon Bar)

Xander jumped to the side as the vampires attacked, twisting as he went he raised his magnum and opened fire, hitting one vampire dead in the back. He had loaded up with some simple, but effective rounds which caused huge damage to vampires.

He quickly rolled over towards the vamp and staked it, turning he saw one of the women had backed up against the wall and was firing her pistols with almost complete accuracy. However what surprised him were her bullets dusted the vampires she hit, even more surprising was the weapon the other wielded. It was a bracelet on her wrist which seemed to grow sharp barbs and spikes and it also grew and expanded into amour for the woman, this was a strange occurrence even for him.

Lara quickly reloaded, having trained for quick reloads just in case she ever ran into such bad situations, she slammed her foot into the privates of another vampire which charged her, just as she finished and watched in satisfaction as it fell to the floor moaning. Taking only a second she put a bullet right through its brain dusting it. She noted Sara jump over another vamp and use the Witchblade to basically decapitate it, whilst the young man helping them dodged two quick blows before ramming his stake into the vamps heart he was fighting.

Sara growled as she plunged the Witchblade right into the heart of another vampire, heading towards the leader of the attacking group. Xander noted this and moved to back her up.

He dropped his magnum, which was now empty and pulled another stake and engaged another vampire, allowing it to land a blow to his face he backed off, making the vampire over extend its reach and then he quickly twisted around and staked it in the back right in its heart.

Sara used the Witchblade's barbed tentacles to rip another two vampires to pieces and then jumped at the leader who caught her in the chest with a back kick. She managed to direct her landing and landed back on her feet.

Lara moved forward and took out two more vampires, who were trying to sneak up on the young man who was now covering Sara, ensuring no other vampires got to her from behind, so she could concentrate on the leader. This impressed her and showed that he must be one of the good guys. Suddenly she noted his eyes widen and in a motion almost too quick for her to see he flung one of his stakes at her. She ducked angered only to hear the sound of a dusting vampire behind her, turning around she noted the ashes of the vamp slowly sinking to the ground.

Glancing back at the young man she gave him a thankful smile, which was returned with a simple nod, as he attacked another vampire. She raised her pistols and fired again, taking down two more bring the total down to three left. Putting her pistols away she grabbed a stake which the man must have lost and attacked the only remaining vampire not engaged in a fight, as it tried to attack the young man from behind.

Sara attacked again. She dodged the vampires kick and dropped into a crouch. She tried to sweep his legs from under him, but he jumped right over them. Growling in annoyance she attacked again and caught him in the side and pushed him back.

Xander caught his target with a kick aimed at its knee cap. This allowed him to place a powerful elbow into the things neck before staking it. He turned to see Lara ram her knee into the vampire's face she now had on the ground, breaking its nose with a painful sound and then stake it.

The leader growled as it noted the last of his force had been taken out and knew if it stayed much longer, he would be next. However if he fled the battle, his master would kill him anyway. He lashed out again catching Sara in the face and sending her onto her back. He jumped at her intending to sink his fangs in her before she could recover. However as he came down he saw her raise the cursed Witchblade and extend one of its barbs into a spike which pierced his heart. He screamed in agony and pain before bursting into dust.

Sara jumped back to her feet and shook her head at the over confidence of the vampire, it was one she had used against them before as they always seem to think they would win.

"Are you alright, Sara?" Lara's concerned voice made her turn to see her friend approach with the young man, who had helped them, as well as being a target at the same time.

"Yeah I'm fine," Sara replied. "You know the blade can absorb a lot of damage, still I am sure I will have a sore back tomorrow," she added with a grin, making Lara chuckle. "So you would be Xander Harris defender of the Hellmouth," she said, while turning to the young man. "Don't suppose you have any clue why they tried to kill all three of us do you?" she asked.

"Actually I do have an idea, but I doubt you are going to like it," Xander answered. "Neither of you," he added. "But we can't talk here. More of them could turn up," he added, before collecting his forgotten magnum. "I think we should go somewhere we can talk in private," he suggested.

Sara and Lara exchanged unsure looks before deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt. They turned and left the club with Xander close behind. None of them noticed a shadowed figure watching them from the roof of the club. It shook its head and then vanished.

(Sunnydale)

The Mayor contemplated his options even with Faith now off on the trail of Harris. He was concerned that she may not be enough to stop him, especially if he met up with and allied himself with the other two mentioned in the prophecy.

His people had found it in the wreckage of the watcher's house buried very deep. Clearly Rupert Giles had wanted to keep it from him as much as possible. Thee years he'd had people going through the school and watchers house to find any useful books, magical items or weapons he could use and only now had they found this very interesting and worrying document.

Maybe he should hire some outside help to also track them down, he also thought about finding the item described in the prophecy. However he would have to choose carefully what help he hired. Others would be on the look out for some way to remove him from power. The Terrakans were out of the question, as they could be bought off or given a contract of greater compensation to remove him and vampires were easily killed so his army of hired help were not suitable.

Thinking it over carefully he suddenly smiled as he remembered there was another faction of assassins he could hire. They were descendants of the original group the Hashshashin and gone into hiding after almost being wiped out. They were locked in an on going war with the remains of the Templar Order, who most people believed to be extinct. He knew better, they continued to survive and thrive. They were a threat he would one day have to deal with, maybe a deal with the Assassins could be made that aided them both.

Another prospect that could aide him was hiring the bounty hunter Mikhail Larson, someone he had used before. As he thought over these plans, he changed back into his full demon form. With Faith out of town he did not need to have the illusion of being human on as much anymore. He also knew once Harris and the other two were killed, Faith would have to be dealt with as well, no matter that she seemed committed to his course, she could become a threat and so in the end he would order her death.

(Oxnard)

Faith suddenly shivered as she paid for a hotel room and while she glanced around the area, she wondered what the hell she had just felt. It was cold and sent a tingle right down her spine. It usually happened when something threatened her, but she could see and sense no threat in the area, frowning she wondered if maybe it was Xander and whatever it was he may do that the Mayor seemed to think was a threat.

Entering her room, she threw her bag onto the bed and headed for the shower, stripping out of her clothes as she went. This whole business made her think back to the betrayal. The death of most of the Scoobies and the subjugation of Sunnydale sometimes did make her think about what she had done. Betraying her calling, her first watcher and even Buffy and the gang, but she still felt justified in doing it, as none of them had truly accepted her. No, that wasn't really true, a small part of her argued, as she turned the water on and let it drench her. Xander had tried and so had Angel, but it wasn't enough.

Their true loyalty was always to Buffy and the group as a whole and she was left on the outside more often than not.

She closed her eyes as she remembered stabbing Buffy, getting her back for almost killing her when she had poisoned Angel on the Mayor's orders. She recalled seeing Red drained, after she went catatonic from seeing Oz killed, the whole lot of them was put down and only one had escaped.

Somehow, someway Xander had escaped and now she was been sent to finish what had started three years ago. Buffy and Giles were no longer a threat she knew and she wondered what Xander would think if he knew their fate.

After shutting the water off, she dried herself off and then changed into some new clothes. Jumping on the bed she wondered just how much Xander had changed over the three years he had been hiding. Was he truly a threat, as the Mayor believed or was it that he was over reacting? Again the small voice added another thought that maybe the Mayor was trying to remove all people who knew the truth of who and what he was and that meant maybe she was next.

(Sara's apartment)

Lara kept a close eye on Xander as she made them all a cup of coffee, whilst Sara changed clothes. The one downside to be the bearer of the Witchblade her friend had complained about was the amount of clothes it ended up destroying. The Witchblade was great for forming amour around her that could defend her from almost anything, but it ended up shredding her clothing to do it. She smiled as she remembered just how many times she had listened to Sara complaining about this particular problem.

Turning around she brought the cups over to the table and put them down and noted Xander seemed tense and uncertain and was also tired. He quickly took one of the cups and took a deep gulp as Sara came back out from her bedroom. They both took seats across from him and took their own cups of the table. Sara wondered just what it was Xander knew and why that vampire seemed so intent on killing them.

"So Xander," Sara began. "What is it that you know about why these vamps wanted us dead?" she asked.

"I'm afraid that there is no easy answer for that, Sara," Xander answered, recalling both women's names. "It goes back to what went down in Sunnydale three years ago, which resulted in the deaths of every last one of my friends and the complete damnation of my home town Sunnydale," he added.

"Can you please explain that?" Lara spoke up.

"Sunnydale is the home of the Hellmouth, a mystical portal to hell," Xander answered, but was stopped from going further by Sara who interrupted him.

"The Hellmouth is closed and has been for the past decade," she said angrily. "One of the blade's former hosts was a Slayer who helped closing it," she explained.

"Well clearly the blade has been out of circulation for a bit, as it was almost opened five years ago and could be opened anytime by the Mayor who managed to complete an ascension ritual," Xander shot back. "Why he has held back for so long I don't know, but my friends including the current Slayer at the time died trying to stop it. I was sent away by her watcher due to something he had found just before the last fight," he informed them.

Sara swallowed deeply at the idea that the Hellmouth was no longer closed and not even defended anymore. The blade showed her images of what could happen if this Mayor decided to open the damn thing. Clearly something big had gone down and maybe something even bigger was yet to happen, she really did not like this turn of events.

Lara was somewhat confused on the major details, but she could tell what had been said so far was bad, just looking at Sara's face told her that and the sound of Xander's voice showed how badly it had affected him. She might have just found herself in a really big spot of trouble and she really did not like that.

"What did he find?" Sara asked, turning her mind back to their conversation.

"A prophecy, an old one, which may give us an opportunity to destroy the Mayor and avenge my fallen friends," Xander replied. "But it will not be easy, as he has the help of an army of demons, vampires and more importantly a fallen Slayer," he went on, his gaze becoming darker.

"You are telling me a Slayer has gone rogue?" Sara asked, shocked by the prospect.

"I'm afraid so," Xander said with a nod. "She was called after the previous one was killed, who had been called because my friend had a close call that almost killed her, however I managed to bring her back with CPR. So we suddenly had two Slayers. This new girl had lived a hard life and it only got worse when her first watcher was killed," he explained running a hand down his face. "She came to Sunnydale and helped out for a while, however she had problems with most of the group, especially her fellow Slayer that only got worse. In the end she turned on us and helped the Mayor," he sighed, as he said that, fighting the memories it invoked.

"My god," Sara said, fighting the outrage she felt from the blade at such a betrayal.

"Anyway back to what Giles found. The prophecy stated the last warrior of the mouth of hell, the bearer of the blade of witches and the one who seeks things better long forgotten will find the hidden treasures to defeat that what was believed to be unbeatable," he repeated, what Giles had told him, for the first time since he had heard it.

Sara and Lara exchanged looks again, this time a much longer and deeper one than before, both of them knew that the description of two of the three mentioned in the prophecy matched them completely and the other clearly meant Xander. What was not clear to them was why they were needed to be a part of this, and then suddenly Lara's mind locked onto something.

"You said hidden treasures will be found," she said. "Maybe the artifact we've been tracking in that cult's hands is one of them," she suggested, which made Xander pay closer attention to them.

"My contact at the club was telling me of such an artifact and the cult who had it, and I had the same thought, but the vampires distracted me from getting anything further from him," he told them.

"Then maybe we should try and find your contact and see if he has anything else to say on the matter that may help us infiltrate the cult and get that artifact," Lara put in. "We then can continue to discuss the prophecy and what it means for the rest of us," she concluded.

"I agree," Sara said with a nod. "Do you have any idea where he may be?" she asked.

"I've got a good idea," Xander responded, pleased to have a direction and also pleased they had not dismissed what he had to say out of hand. "When do you want to go?" he asked.

Both Lara and Sara stood up and just looked at him to which he smiled and stood up as well. He finished his coffee and then turned and headed for the door. Sara took one more sip of her own drink, before putting her cup down and followed him. Lara downed her own drink in one go, before she followed as well.

(Hideout)

The figure walked into the warehouse and headed straight for his master's office. Going straight in he hoped his report would not end with his death, as his master was prone to killing the bearer of bad news.

"Well are they dead?" his master's voice echoed all around the darkened room.

"I'm afraid not my lord," he answered. "Jake and his force were all killed and I saw all three champions leave," he added.

"So they are just as dangerous as I would expect," the master responded with a chuckle. "Prepare my followers for an assault on the cult. We must get the artifact before the champions do," he ordered.

"Yes my lord," he said with a bow and quickly lefty the room, wondering yet again why the artifact his master wanted was so important.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

(Sunnydale)

The Mayor entered the chamber and looked around before his eyes came to rest on Buffy Summers. She was broken and subjugated by his magic's and she bowed before him causing a small smile to break out on his face. He recalled ensuring that she lived after the battle alongside her watcher, before he started the long process of making them slaves. Oh they had resisted greatly, but bit by bit they had weakened until their previous personalities were caged and new ones installed.

He looked to the side of Buffy to find Rupert Giles also bowing before him. He had questioned the watcher about the prophecy many times and he knew how dangerous it was to him. He wondered whether he should send them after Alexander as well. They would have the element of surprise as he doubted the young man would suspect them of harming him. No he decided he would give Faith some time to do him one last service, he had already called the assassins and managed to hammer out a deal.

Once Faith had dealt with Alexander she would herself be taken out by one of the best assassins they had. It was a shame Faith had to die, as she had served him well but she was a Slayer and had to die. She was the active Slayer and thus he could not break her like he had Buffy, who was a shadow of the Slayer spirit, due to her first death. Shaking his head he sat down and began to question both of his slaves, he needed a better understanding of Alexander, so that he knew what the boy might do, should he find what the Prophecy stated could kill him.

(Demon Bar)

Xander entered the bar to find it had already been cleaned up, not too much of a surprise he thought. He glanced to his left where Lara was and noted she was keeping an eye on the rear, clearly anticipating another attack, not that he could blame her. On his other side Sara was already moving off to talk to the barman, he moved to follow, wanting to back her up. Now after three long years he had finally found the two people spoken of in the prophecy and he would be damned if he let either of them come to harm. This was the first major step to destroying the Mayor and finally avenging Buffy and the others. He had to be smart about this and not rush into anything or it would all be for nothing.

That was not something he could even stomach thinking about, that he might fail in this and let Giles and the others down. He cursed Faith for ever coming to town and for ever being chosen as the Slayer. A part of him knew they were also at fault in her fall, but at the moment he did not care about that. She had betrayed them all and doomed Sunnydale, worse still the Mayor could open the Hellmouth at anytime and destroy the world and it would all be due to Faith's actions. Again part of him objected to this and reminded him of the failures of the gang, not only in keeping Faith's trust, but also in dealing with the Mayor. They had gotten a little to used to winning and had gone into that last fight so sure they would win. They should have planned for a fighting retreat, just in case things went badly. Maybe if they had, then more of the gang may have survived. Finally he shook those thoughts off and concentrated on what was going on now.

Lara watched as Sara questioned the barman and Xander kept a close eye on her. She was somewhat unsettled to be the centre of a prophecy and one that a year or so ago she would have dismissed as nonsense. She had learned from Sara that they were very real and not something to take lightly. The young man who they had met clearly believed in them, if she believed what he had said so far. She had taken note of Sara's reaction to what had been told to them. She clearly had some idea what was actually going on and what they were now involved in. She would have to sit down with her at some point and get her to explain things. She quickly looked around and took a quick look outside, but noted it was still clear.

Sara thanked the barman, turned around again and headed back to Xander, who she noted had been watching her back, whilst Lara kept an eye on the door. She still could not believe what he had told them. The idea of a Slayer going rogue was bad enough, but then there was the fact that the Hellmouth was now in the hands of a demon of great power and could be opened at any time. Boy if that wasn't a chilling thought. The blade showed her exactly what could come if they did not remove the threat. The prophecy was the key and the artifact they were after was now even more important.

Before she had met Xander and being informed of the prophecy by him, she would have stated it a mere coincidence that they were all after the same artifact. Now it seemed so much more than that, maybe destiny was playing a hand in this. She knew however that no matter what was truly involved in this, that it would not be an easy fight and could cost them their lives.

"Did you found out where he is?" he asked Sara as she passed him.

"Yes I did," Sara responded. "It seems your source lives in an abandoned building a block from here," she added as she headed for Lara.

"Let's hope he has some more information we can use," Xander said mostly to himself, but Sara heard him anyway. "I get the feeling time is running out," he stated.

"Easy Xander, I understand you have a lot at stake in this, but we must proceed carefully or we may end up dead or worse," Sara told him, frowning slightly at the look in the man's eyes.

She was worried on just how badly the young man had been affected by the events that had happened to him. He had spent three long years looking for her and Lara, whilst trying to cope with the loss of everyone he had ever cared about. She was certain he was also fighting off some guilt about losing the battle to hold the Hellmouth. Something she did not believe was his fault, considering what they were up against.

"Did you find out where he is?" Lara asked, as they reached her and then exited the bar.

"Yes we did Lara, thankfully," Sara replied with a small smile. "Hopefully he has the information we need to get our hands on the artifact," she added, not noticing they were watched from above.

(Hideout)

He looked out as his followers prepared to attack the cult who held the artifact which would grant him powers beyond comprehension. It would also allow him to remove the Mayor of Sunnydale as a threat if he so desired and so he could finally take his place as ruler of the Hellmouth. He smiled just thinking about it, the Mayor had achieved a great victory by taking Sunnydale, but he was no ally of his.

"My Lord, we are almost ready," Vincent reported from behind him, bowing in respect.

"Good good," he said with a smile and a nod. "Make sure they all understand there are to be no prisoners and no mercy. The entire cult is to be wiped out to a man, is that understood?" he ordered.

"Yes my Lord," Vincent responded and moved to carry out his orders.

He pulled his phone out and quickly dialed a number from memory and listened as the report from the spy he had placed at the demon bar was given. It seemed that the champions were on the move again. But it would do them no good, by the time they had the information they needed, he would have the artifact.

"Follow them and keep an eye on them," he ordered. "Report anything important," he added before he hung up and then turned and headed to join his followers.

(Oxnard)

Faith awoke and felt cold and sweaty from the nightmare she just had. She quickly got up and headed to the bathroom, she ran the water and splashed it on her face and took a good look at herself in the mirror. What stared back at her disturbed her, there were cracks in her armor and she looked vulnerable. Turning away in disgust that a nightmare had invoked such a response in her, she tried to forget what she had seen, but that was not so easy.

Even as a rogue Slayer she still suffered the visions that came with them and something told her that her nightmare had not only been that. That realization chilled her to the bone, she did not want to believe any of it, but she knew better than to dismiss a vision so easily. This mission she was on had seemed so easy before, but not anymore. Xander truly was a dangerous person now and when they met up again she knew he would do everything in his power to kill her and avenge his fallen friends.

A part of her, a very small part, hated to think that she had turned the young man, who had tried to help her, into a killer, that she had warped him into something he was never meant to be. She recalled the scar she had left him over his left eye, but she had cut him deeper than that by taking out his friends one by one. Would the rage and hatred he felt be enough to aide him in a fight with her? And what of the two others the Mayor had warned her about? She had a bad feeling that she was going straight to her death by obeying the Mayor this time, but she had nothing else to do and nowhere else to go.

Finally shaking off the pessimistic thoughts and emotions she stuffed her things back into her backpack angrily and then stormed out to her car and jumped in and took off. The Mayor had called to tell her that Xander had been sighted in New York. She had been told to head to a warlocks hideout near Oxnard, who was an ally of the Mayor, who would use a transportation spell to send her there quickly. She hated magic, but she knew better than to disobey the Mayor. Once in New York she would have to be careful how she approached Xander and the other two if they were there and because she drove hard she failed to see the car that was following her.

The assassin smiled as it watched the dark haired Slayer leave. Soon, very soon, once she had completed her mission she would die by his hand and his hand alone. The alliance the Order had made with the Mayor was a good one he thought, it would aid them in their long war with the Templars or what remained of them. The honor he would gain from killing a Slayer would be great, even if the Slayer in question was a traitor and turncoat.

(New York, abandoned building complex)

Xander looked up at the place, noting it was the perfect place for his source to hide in. Abandoned buildings were often used by certain demons, especially the more peaceful types such as Bracken demons. Still it was a big building and it would take time to search, and time was one thing he was certain was against them. Lara did not like the look of the building. She was expecting quite a few traps and probably magical defenses. This would slow them down and she wanted the information they needed so they could finally track down the artifact they were looking for. Sara could tell, thanks to the blade, that the building was not full, and she already had a lock on three Bracken demons inside, this hopefully would not take long.

"I have three signatures that match a Bracken demon," she finally said to the others. "One is in the basement, one is on the second floor and the last is all the way up on the top floor," she told them.

"That should at least knock some time off our search for my source," Xander responded. "I would suggest that we do not split up, even given the fact that only peaceful demons should be inside I don't want to take any risks," he suggested glancing at the two women.

"We can take care of ourselves Xander," Lara shot back, her hands going to rest on her trusty pistols.

"I'm not saying you can't Lara," Xander assured her. "But there are bigger concerns here and we all need to be alive to achieve our mission, remember we are not the only ones after the artifact," he reminded her. "I know there are a couple of groups including the cult who covet it," he stated darkly.

"I agree Lara, we need to be careful here," Sara put in turning to her friend. "If one of us gets killed due to being over confident or not taking this seriously, then the Hellmouth will in time be opened and mankind will be wiped out and it will be our fault," she warned. "I am unsure why this Mayor of Sunnydale has waited so long to open it, but I doubt he will wait forever, we have to move fast, but carefully," she told her.

Lara almost shivered at the tone of her friend's voice and then glanced at Xander and noted the cold almost dead look in her eyes. The scar that ran down his left eye looked vivid and stood out. She could see the hatred and rage locked up inside their new friend, she knew how deadly that could be, but she doubted there was anything she could say to him to help him.

She had once been like him after a deadly mission had cost her two friends lives, she had gone after the killer, intending to avenge them and it had almost cost her not only her own life, but her soul as well. Thankfully Sara and another of their friends, Aspen Matthews, had intervened and saved her, she would have to keep a close eye on Xander and ensure he did not do anything risky.

"Ok I get the point," she finally said. "We will stick together and let us hope your source is actually in there," she added before pulling one of her pistols and entering the building, followed by Xander who pulled his own weapon and then Sara.

(Sunnydale)

The Mayor sat at his desk still going over everything Buffy and Giles had told him about Alexander. The main thing he had learned was that the young man would not give up until he had either completed his mission or has been killed. Three years would clearly bring a lot of changes to the young man as well, however what concerned him was the two others mentioned in the prophecy. He knew nothing about them at all, as it could point to quite a few people. He hated prophecies as they were never straight forward and easy to understand.

Letting go of the illusion of being human he returned to his full demon form and tried to relax, maybe it was growing close to the time where he should open the Hellmouth. He had held off for a few reasons, the main one being that once he opened the Hellmouth he would lose his power and just be one of many powerful demons to stalk the Earth. The humans would be wiped out almost entirely, and for now he wanted to stay where he was, in charge and the most powerful demon in the world.

(Oxnard)

Faith waited as the warlock prepared the transportation spell that would send her to New York. This would be the furthest she had been from Sunnydale in four years. As much as she hated the place it had become her home, which was a sad thing in and of itself. Finally the warlock was ready and began to chant the spell, causing the wind to pick up and magical energies began to surround her. She really did not like magic, but she stayed put. Suddenly there was an explosion of energy as the warlock finished and she vanished.

The warlock looked sideways as the assassin entered the ritual room having already been told by the Mayor to help both, and he knew better than to ignore the Mayor's orders. He quickly began to prepare the same spell again, the only problem he had with this was it was going to leave him drained for a few days.

(New York, abandoned building complex)

Xander tried to ignore the state the demons were in, it was almost like looking at a bunch of refugee's and that troubled him for reasons that were beyond him. It seemed his source was on the top floor, exactly where he himself would hide if he had too. Finally reaching the top floor he watched as Sara and Lara quickly entered the corridor ahead of him, they were clearly used to working as a team, he realized.

"This way," Sara said and led them down the corridor, straight to the last room on the right.

Xander looked at the door before kicking it in and walking into the room to find his source jumping to his feet in fear. He looked the same as he had at the bar, except that he was in his human disguise.

"Easy, it's just me," he said, hoping to calm him down.

"I thought you'd be dead by now," the Bracken demon replied, as he realized he was in no danger.

"We are hard to kill," Lara responded as she entered behind Xander, directly followed by Sara. "Now we need some information and we need it quickly," she continued.

"The cult has moved to the Kyle Mansion on Main Street, one of its members owns it," the Bracken demon told them after a few minutes. "They are expecting some kind of attack, that is all I know," he added.

"Do they still have the artifact, Max?" Xander inquired.

"Yes, they have it in their vault last I heard," Max answered. "I suggest you move quickly if you want to get it before whoever is going to attack the cult beats you to it," he added.

"Thanks man," Xander replied before handing over the money they had agreed on for the information before they had been interrupted back at the bar. "Let's go," he said to the two women.

"Can we trust him?" Sara asked, as they headed back to the stairs.

"Max is a good guy and has helped me quite a few times since I came here, he is trust worthy Sara," Xander answered. "Plus he is a Bracken demon and they don't go looking for trouble," he added.

Sara nodded and wondered what force was going to attack the cult. Clearly one of the groups Xander had told them about was also after the artifact. Getting their hands on it was not going to be easy. Maybe what they needed here was a little help.

(New York)

Faith reappeared in the middle of a deserted ally. She collapsed holding her stomach, which rolled in pain and discomfort and she really wanted to throw up, but she held it in barely. It took her a few moments to get back to her feet and stumble out of the alley. At least she had arrived where she needed to be. Now the question was how did she locate Xander? She needed to find a phone so she could call the Mayor and see about finding some help to quickly locate her prey.

As she took off the assassin appeared on top of a nearby building, unlike Faith he showed no side effects of the spell, but then he was used to using such spells and had developed a resistance to them. He quickly began to follow the dark haired slayer. He had to keep her in sight or this mission would take much longer than it needed to be.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

(Kyle Mansion)

Xander looked the mansion over from his vantage point beside Sara and Lara. He could tell that a huge battle was underway inside. Clearly Max had been spot on in his information, one of the other interested parties had finally made a move to claim the artifact.

"This is not going to be as easy as we thought," Lara pointed out as she checked her pistols. "We have no idea who is attacking the cult and what kind of weapons they might have," she added with a shake of her head.

"True, but I'm guessing the vampires who attempted to kill us might have belonged to this group, so I would suggest you use that ammo you used to kill those vampires so effectively," Xander responded, wishing he had some of that ammo himself, but all he had was a regular magnum.

"We can't wait," Sara told them as she looked over the mansion entrance closely. "We can use the battle as a distraction to get into the vault room and get the artifact before whoever is after it wins this fight," she suggested.

Both Xander and Lara nodded their heads in agreement and headed for the side wall that ran around the mansion. They would slip in that way and avoid the guards they had seen near the main entrance. Still they all knew this was not going to be easy.

+TP+

(New York)

Faith headed straight for the mansion where the artifact everyone wanted was. She had gotten the location from one of the Mayor's contacts and she just knew that would be where she would find Xander and his new friends. She paused as she looked around. For the last twenty minutes she had the feeling that someone was following her, but she had not been able to spot anyone. She glanced upwards, but again saw no one. Shaking her head she continued her run towards the mansion.

The assassin shook its head at how easy it was to stay out of the Slayer's view. He would have expected more from her, considering the things she had done since turning against the light. She had been the right hand of the Mayor. She should know some tricks to check her surroundings without relying on her own senses. Then again maybe the Mayor had not bothered to teach her such things considering he planned to kill her in time. That would make sense.

+TP+

(Hideout)

He watched as his second entered the room clearly with news on how the assault on the cult was going, taking a look at his face made him think things might actually be going well.

"Master our strike force has struck and while we surprised them, the cult is putting up a strong resistance," Vincent reported after coming to a halt in front of his desk. "It is slowing our progress towards the vault," he admitted.

"Any sign of the champions?" he inquired.

"They have not been sighted my Lord," Vincent answered. "The team we had following them has lost sight of them, so we do not know where they are," he told him.

Vincent shivered as his Master let out a growl of anger, and he guessed those who had failed in their mission would suffer their Master's displeasure.

"Find them, they must not get the artifact before we do," he ordered as he stood up and then he added. "Tell them if they fail again they die," he warned.

"Yes my Lord," Vincent replied with a slight bow before. Then he turned and left the room to carry out his orders.

Shaking his head as Vincent left he swore if the champions got the artifact before he did, then all who took part in the assault would be punished for failing him. He wanted that artifact so he could gain far more power than he already had. He also wanted it so he could remove the Mayor and become Master of the Hellmouth.

+TP+

(Sunnydale)

The Mayor looked up as one of his underlings entered with some news to report. He transformed himself back into his human form as he noted this underling was one of the few humans who had been willing to serve him.

"My Lord we have word from the assassin, he has reached New York and is close on Faith's heels," the underling informed him. "The contact you had in place has also gotten in contact and has stated a fight has broken out between a cult and another faction over an artifact of great power," he continued. "He also believes that this is where Faith will find Alexander Harris who has been sighted with two women," he finished.

"They must be the two from the prophecy," the Mayor growled in response. "Send word to the assassin should Faith fail in her task he is to kill all four," he ordered. "Should he manage it, I will raise the price to one million for the contract," he added.

"Of course sir," the underling nodded in agreement. "We've shored up the defenses around the town sir, just in case Harris and his friends should slip through our net," he reported.

"Good, the boy and his friends must not get back into Sunnydale, is that clear?" the Mayor commanded with a hard glare at his underling who paled and nodded so fast it was a surprise his head didn't come off.

It was that kind of fear the Mayor loved to see on those who he ruled, it was also one of the reasons he had not opened the Hellmouth yet. He did not want to lose the power to command such fear, which he knew he would once the Hellmouth was open and hell was unleashed on Earth.

+TP+

(Kyle Mansion)

Xander lashed out with a side kick at the vampire as it tried to jump him from a tree. He had sensed it coming quite easily, having honed his senses with a little help from what was left over from the Hyena spirit that had possessed him. He had trained hard to ensure he would survive as long as possible and he had a few magical tricks up his sleeve as well. The vampire quickly got back to his feet and went for him again, before he could reach him Lara unloaded two bullets into his heart and the vampire quickly dusted. Xander really wanted to know how she had gotten her hands on such ammo. He could use some of it.

"Whoever is after the artifact definitely has demonic connections," Sara noted as she glanced back at them. "Watch your backs," she cautioned as she moved to press on.

"How the hell did you know it was there?" Lara inquired as she moved closer to Xander.

"I have good senses," was all Xander would say before he pushed forward, away from Lara who frowned but refrained from trying to get more from him for now.

Sara's sudden burst of speed took them both by surprise, but they quickly realized she was on the attack. Two humans who had to be cultist were both recovering from her sudden strike. Xander went to help her, but Lara pulled him back and shook her head when he glanced back at her. Turning back he watched as Sara nailed one of the guards with a wicked palm strike that seemed to shatter the man's nose. The second tried to nail her with a right fist which she easily blocked with her elbow and then kicked him in the gut and followed it up with an elbow to the back of his head. The man collapsed in a heap. Xander had to admit he was impressed. She was almost as fast as a Slayer.

"We have to move fast," Sara told them as they moved up to the side entrance the two cultists had been guarding. "I don't think these cultists will be able to hold out much longer. We have to get to that vault before the others do," she added.

"Let's wake up one of these fuckers and get him to tell us where the vault is then," Xander suggested. "Might be helpful just in case it has some defenses and a code to open it," he added at their looks.

"Good idea, it might make it easier for us to get there first," Lara agreed as she moved to one of the cultists and began to shake him awake so she could question him.

Sara and Xander moved to cover her back as she threatened the man with one of her pistols. The man was clearly afraid as he kept stammering as he tried to answer her. Xander spun around as a vampire came charging out of the side door. He had no time to raise his magnum and was knocked backwards as it collided with him. He quickly spun them around and managed to kick the thing off him, climbing back to his feet he pulled one of his stakes from his belt and prepared for a fight.

The vampire charged again and Xander quickly countered the strikes and waited for a chance to get his own in. Sara was about to help out when another vampire appeared from the darkness. She quickly activated the Witchblade and struck. The blades barbs ripped the vampire into pieces before it could even get close, dusting it in seconds. Sara spun back to check that Lara was ok and noted she was still questioning the cultist, however she could tell by her alert presence she was keeping an eye out. Xander did his best to take the kick to his side, it hurt but he'd had worse in the last three years. The vampire went for a claw strike allowing Xander to duck under his swing and ram his elbow into the vampire's throat, this stunned the vampire and forced it backwards and Xander quickly took the advantage and staked it before it could recover.

"You know you are very quick for a normal human?" Sara couldn't help but note as he moved to her side.

"I haven't been normal since I met Buffy," Xander responded with a jaded snort. "I've been possessed twice in my lifetime, once by a Hyena spirit and the second by the spirit of a soldier who had hundreds of missions under his belt," he told her. "After what happened in Sunnydale I found a warlock to help me regain some of the improvements of both those possessions after I learned part of them still resided inside me," he explained.

"What kind of improvements?" Sara inquired with interest as Lara seemed to finally get the answers she wanted from the cultist as she knocked him back out with the butt of her pistol and rejoined them to hear his response.

"My senses are about five times human norm and my speed and strength has been augmented although I have no idea by how much," Xander informed them both. "That all came from the Hyena, from the soldier I gained a lot of hand to hand skills as well as my memories of how to handle most firearms," he continued. "Thanks to this, as well as constant training, I have managed to stay alive on my own for three years. Hopefully if I ever come face to face with Faith I will live long enough to kill her," he told them blankly before he turned and moved to enter the mansion.

Sara and Lara remained only for as long as it took them to exchange a surprised look before they followed him, both thinking over what he had told them about himself. However a far more important fact in Sara's mind was Xander's wish to actually face a Slayer one on one, even with his advantages it was a slim chance he would survive such a confrontation. She could understand why he wanted to face this Faith. She had betrayed everything being the Slayer stood for. She had helped murder his friends. Still he should know better than to want to fight her one on one, even for her with the Witchblade it would be a difficult fight. Slayers were designed for such fights with things much tougher than the average vampire, their speed, strength and skill was hyped up to their maximum potential so they could do their job.

"Xander I hope you are not really thinking of taking on a Slayer head on?" Sara finally asked him as Lara led them to the vault even as they did their best to avoid getting caught in anymore fights.

"Actually I'm dead serious Sara," Xander responded without looking back at her. He did however understand her shock at his intention.

"But it is suicide even with the enhancements you have," Sara told him with a frustrated shake of her head at the fact he seemed to ignore the danger that came with his intent.

"Maybe," Xander responded after a brief silence. "But Faith helped take everything I cared about. She murdered a couple of my friends and she did it with a smile on her face," he told her. His face was deadly serious as he looked at her, his eyes looked dead to Sara. The scar over his left eye seemed to be inflamed, and she wondered if Faith had given it to him during that last fateful battle.

"I understand how you feel Xander, I do," Sara told him. "But how does dying in an attempt to kill her help you avenge them?" she asked.

"I don't intend to die. I've been training hard for three long years Sara. I've fought against vampires and demons and even the odd human, I'm as good as I'm ever going to get," Xander shot back. "Faith I doubt has had much to challenge her in those three years. She is probably rusty and I am betting she will underestimate me and only see the boy I used to be and not the man I'm now," he explained.

Sara frowned a little at his response because what he said actually made sense to her. If Sunnydale was locked down as tight as Xander seemed to think, it was likely Faith had little to truly challenge her. She was probably over confident as well after three years on top, but if she had done very little fighting and had nothing to really push her then it may just give Xander a much needed edge that could help him survive a fight with Faith.

"Look out," Lara's sudden shout of warning came just in time for Xander and Sara to drop into combat ready stances as they came across the vault access area.

Five cultists and a bunch of vampires were fighting it out for control of the vault. Some of the vampires had spotted them and were now rushing towards them, intent on killing them.

+TP+

(Outside Kyle Mansion)

Faith sat in a tree overlooking the mansion she had been directed to by the Mayor's source. The whole area looked like a damn warzone. Something that made her recall the last battle for Sunnydale in detailed memory, finding Xander in the middle of all this was not going to be easy she conceded with a shake of her head. She could see various dead bodies all over the place and more importantly she could sense multiple vampires all over the mansion. She would have to be careful how she approached the mansion, finally she spotted a side entrance and with a smirk jumped from the tree onto the mansion's wall and quickly flipped off it to the ground. She moved quickly into the mansion with only a quick glance back. It was that quick glance instead of a more careful look that ensured she missed the shadow of the assassin that was following her.

The assassin waited only a few moments before following Faith inside the mansion. He was on full alert due to the battle that was still raging all around him. This may aide him in taking Faith out. Her Slayer senses must be going berserk with so many vampires close by. She might not notice him sneaking up on her. He was hoping to get a clear shot on both her and Harris should they encounter one another. It would be the perfect shot to get both in one go. He could then go at any friends Harris might have with him. The Mayor had been sure he would be with two others and if he could get all four then he would get a huge bonus. That along with the money for each of the targets would ensure he could retire for a few years. He almost smiled at the thought and then he shook his head as he forced himself to remember he was part of the war against the remaining Templar Order. So until they were destroyed he could never retire, but still the money would ensure he could live comfortably when he was not on assignment.

+TP+

(Sunnydale)

The Mayor glared down at the subjugated forms of Buffy Summers and Rupert Giles as he contemplated what to do should Alexander Harris make it back to Sunnydale. He wasn't fool enough to not believe in luck aiding Harris in surviving both Faith and the assassin. It had aided him in escaping not only that final battle that should have claimed his life, but had helped him escape Sunnydale as well. With a dark look in his eyes he decided he could use Summers and Giles against their friend, in their current state they barely remembered they were friends with the boy.

'Yes, they will be the perfect way to kill the boy should he make it back here,' he thought darkly.

He would have to prepare both for such a meeting. Their minds would need further indoctrination to ensure they carried out his way. Turning away he headed back to his office to prepare some other plans as well. He still had time to prepare Summers and Giles after all it was only a small chance Harris would get lucky and survive.

Buffy's glazed eyes watched her Master leave before she put her head back down and tried to get back to sleep, yet in the back of her mind, cut off from her conscious thoughts, the real personality of Buffy Summers screamed for release and revenge.


End file.
